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@seakayaker I was searching the forum for thoughts on the AV Options Tibia Plus 12 and notice you posted some time ago that you had a couple in your system. By now you would have a good idea of their performance what are your thoughts on those as an upgrade for a SN?
Dave, I purchased the three AV Options TibiaPlus12 Deep-Cryo AC Cable back Jan/Feb Timeframe in 2018 for my NAIM Integrated Amp, Power Supply and Streamer. I thought they added a slight lift in the overall sound improvement. It has been awhile but I thought it as a positive experience at the time of purchase.
I currently use them with my XPS DR Powering the NDX 2, my HI-CAP DR powering the NAP 282 and my NAC 250 DR.
Currently AV Options is having a 20% off sale through August 3 rd on their products if you are thinking of picking any up.
Thanks @seakayaker ! Is there a code for the sale? I had a look at their site and didn’t see it. Maybe I just missed it.
I am on their email list and this is what they sent. Now through 9-3-2021 use code 20UPGRAYEDD
piebia,
sorry for the very long replay, I very rarely visit the forum and rarely post. Thanks for your appreciation, though.
I never had a HCDR with my 282, nor did I try two HCs. I moved from one HC2 to an older, refurbished olive SC. The move was very significant to me then, and I still consider it very significant now in a more ‘cooled down’ perspective.
I dare say that until I tried a SC I thought highly of HC, but now I tend to see a SC the only meaningful upgrade wherever it’s possible to fit one.
As for the difference between non-DR and DR PSUs, I am still doubtful; I acknowledge the benefits DR technology brings to the party, but the simple design of the classic, LM317-based PSUs was inherently tied to the very sense of the external PSUs in my view; I often listen to a friend’s system (CDS3, XPS2, 252, SC, 300) with classic non-DR PSUs and it sounds great to me. I have exposed my views here when the DR came out and a rerun is of no help.
Hope you have sorted your doubts by now,
Best
Max
hi piebia,
regarding you question about 2 HCDR, I red somewhere here in the forum that adding a second HCDR to 282 is not suggested in terms of grounding. I mean, it’s as if the second HCD would not correctly grounded.
someone will be able to explain technically what really happens.
rgds,
Stefano
Ciao Max
Thanks for your clarifications. I dont know why but i had a very little doubt on the possible oversizing of the supercap on the nac 282 but it is a niggle because 282 is a fantastic preamp and with sc you can squeeze all the juice it has
Ciao,
I don’t know for sure but I think that the 282 is actually meant to be optimally used with a SuperCap; what I do know for sure, at the risk of repeating myself, is that much as I have experimented with Naim PSUs, the SC really made things clear.
Best with your quest,
Max
When connecting a SC to a 282 it is via 2 snaics. And as such you get 4 regulated feeds to the 282. The full benefit of a SC can only be achieved via the burndy, and that is reserved for the 252.
There is lots of talk about sub optimal grounding with 2 HCs on a 282. Doubt if many can actually hear it though.
I’d like to see the transformer and capacitance figures for an SC vs 2 HCs. But I think 2 HCs is more. Thus I’d expect a more stable/flat power supply from 2 HCs over a single SC, if that is the case.
Either way an SC is just temptation to a 252. But all irrelevant to the OPs question.
Interesting comments. I had 2 hc’s in to an Olive 82. I now have a classic supercap into the 82. I can hear a distinct difference and I think the sc sounds the better. It’s the normal more of everything, separation, clarity. depth of placement. Just fuller somehow.
I totally agree. I feel that it doesn’t matter if if is on four or ten rails the point is that the power supplied by sc is better by the power supplied by one or two hc. I have to admit that now I use to listen dr sound so I would go for a dr solution
I’d be interested to know how the power supplied is better by an SC. DR or no DR.
Why not suppose that a bigger and more selected toroidal with a better filter cap will produce a more stable less noisy reference voltage. To me it sounds acceptable, if not why not using directly a flatcap for having the same 24 volts at the end
So are you telling me that that the transformer in the SC is more than twice the VA of a single HC? And that its capacitance is more than twice that of a single HC?
There’s no one who has listened to both solutions and hasn’t preferred the SC. Multiple 24V rails surely add something, but the transformer’s quality counts: I have had a HiCap2 and an old SNAPS that had been modded to output 2 x 24V; the SNAPS had the same Holden&Fisher transformer as a NAP110, and trying both PSUs on a SuperNait’s preamp section a difference in sound was clearly audible, not necessarily in favor of the modern HC.
In the end, my opinion is that in the now ample catalogue of Naim gear, the basics are still the best part of it: power amps’ simple circuits, power supplies and, I still think and will always think, loudspeakers design. Be it branded Naim or whatever.
Max,
I am in your corner when it comes to priorities of components. If one is fully committed to NAIM sound then amplification is where their bread and butter are. Otherwise, the speakers which shape the sound the most come first. The source would arrive last simply because it will be easy to find a proper one after achieving the aspired synergy between the first two.
I would suggest higher line Wireworld or Powerline for the Supernait 3. The Wireworld Elektra 7 is decent when used on the source but it’s not very good on the amp. Dynamics and transient attack are slightly reduced when the Elektra 7 is used on the amp.
I own the Elektra 7 in factory terminated US plug and it sounded best with the DAC. It’s now in the storeroom as I’ve found something better.
Probably not, but there is some physical reason in why using 2 hc for the stages of the preamp could be better that using only one? doubling is noise would not be an issue? I think that the only answer is in your own listening session and the voltmeter won’t help you, the electrical capabilities of one HC is enough to power any Solid state preamp in this world